Hamilton Elementary, Hanford CA - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Hamilton Elementary

Hamilton Elementary sits in Hanford, the county seat of Kings County in California's San Joaquin Valley. The school serves kindergarten through grade six, with an enrollment of about four hundred students. The overwhelming majority qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of White students and other racial and ethnic groups represented.

On state assessments, Hamilton's performance falls below the middle of the range among districts in Kings County. In English language arts, the school's overall proficiency hovers around the midpoint across the tested grades, with sixth grade performing somewhat stronger than earlier grades. In mathematics, proficiency is substantially lower; third and fourth graders score around or slightly above half proficient, while fifth grade plummets to well below that level, recovering somewhat in sixth grade. The school administered California's science test in fifth grade, where proficiency was also low. The pattern suggests particular challenges in upper elementary math, which may warrant a closer look at what instructional approaches are in place and whether additional support is available to students who are falling behind.

The school has only one year of assessment data, so trends are not yet visible. A parent may want to ask the school directly about reading and math intervention programs, whether small-group instruction or tutoring is available, and what the school's priorities are for grade-level support, particularly in math.

Hanford itself is a mixed community anchored by a historic, walkable downtown with locally owned shops and the Civic Center Park, where an Amtrak station and a KART transit hub connect residents to regional travel and transit. Beyond the downtown, the city is car-oriented and rapidly growing, with new residential subdivisions concentrated in south and northwest neighborhoods expanding onto former agricultural land. Major employers include health care, government, and agriculture-linked manufacturing, alongside proximity to NAS Lemoore. The housing market is moderately priced relative to the state, with home values and rental rates both showing modest growth. This is a working-and-middle-class community with steady economic activity and significant Hispanic and agricultural ties.

Hamilton Elementary draws its students from this broader community context. If you are considering this school, the state test data suggests an elementary environment where reading is closer to grade-level but math achievement lags, particularly in the upper grades. The school's enrollment is small enough for individual attention, but the strength of academic support for students who are not yet proficient would be worth discussing directly with the school before making a decision.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 47% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Grade 451%

School 51% · District 44% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 518%

School 18% · District 37% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 631%

School 31% · District 40% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 48% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 49% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 51% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 20 pts below county median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 55% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Science

Grade 521%

School 21% · District 27% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 7 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

This schoolHanford Elementary, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.